


Her Dark Materials

by Super_Danvers



Category: His Dark Materials (TV), His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman, Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Daemons, Danvers Sisters, F/F, F/M, His Dark Materials AU, Kara Danvers - Freeform, M/M, Original Characters - Freeform, Oxford, alex danvers - Freeform, jordan - Freeform, maggie sawyer - Freeform, marisa coulter - Freeform, national city au, sanvers au, slowburn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-24
Updated: 2020-01-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:28:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22387945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Super_Danvers/pseuds/Super_Danvers
Summary: In a world where people live alongside their soul companions, animals known as daemons, children are going missing. Alex Danvers never noticed it, too busy running over rooftops and stealing food from market stalls. Not until the day her sister went missing.
Relationships: Alex Danvers & Kara Danvers, Alex Danvers/Maggie Sawyer
Comments: 5
Kudos: 25





	1. Prologue

It had started with the lady and the golden monkey.

The lady in a deep-red fox fur coat, whose dark hair frames her slim, oval face and settles just past her pointed shoulders. The beautiful lady nobody seems to notice standing on the top step of the Oratory, about a dozen steps from the little girl sat at the bottom. There’s a light on in the doorway behind the lady, a service is finishing and an organ playing is muffled by the heavy wooden door. The little girl doesn’t notice this however, she’s preoccupied with other matters. She’s waiting for her older sister to come and meet her for potstickers.

This girl is Kara Danvers. Her golden hair is French plaited on the top before meeting a high ponytail that spills down her back and finishes just above her tailbone. She’s around ten, give or take a year. Nobody’s quite sure. Nobody’s quite sure of where Kara is from either. She looks northern, with big blue eyes, pale skin and soft brown freckles that cover her face but some scholars theorised she had the look of a southerner about her. She’d arrived on Jordan’s doorstep in the dead of night, with no note or indication of a guardian. However, with the presence of a fellow orphan at Jordan at the time, the crying infant had been taken in by the scholars and raised alongside the other child with the intention of them to be siblings.

Kara knows nothing of the lady stood above her. She’s playing with her daemon in her lap whilst looking up and down the street nervously, waiting for her sister. Her daemon, a mouse about the size of the girl’s palm with light grey fur, squeaks his nervousness as he notices Kara’s worry. Neither of them had ever visited Oxford properly before, or at least not this part. Lime Street was filled with the noise of market sellers and boatmen negotiating sales with one another, shouting and hurling abuse at outrageous prices for new oars. They don’t notice Kara as much as Kara doesn’t notice the lady behind her.

The young lady’s daemon slips down from her shoulder and inches down the steps slowly. His fur is long and silky, the colour of shiny gold with a lustrous texture. With sinuous movements, he finally sits a step above Kara and peers at them curiously. Kara’s daemon notices him over her shoulder and promptly jumps into the air, forming into a blue monarch butterfly, and fluttering around Kara’s head as the girl eyed a nearby potsticker stall.

The monkey watched the butterfly intently, and the butterfly returned the gaze. The monkey reached out slowly, its little black paw enticing the butterfly gently. The butterfly forms into a blue bird, and hops towards the monkey’s outstretched paw. He can’t resist. Its when he hops into the paw does Kara realise the presence behind her.

“Felix!” She cries, half-alarmed half-curious.

The monkey scampers back to his mistress’ shoulder, and strokes the bird’s head with its other paw. The daemon chirps in response to Kara’s fear. It seemed safe.

The lady smiles. “Hello. What’s your name?”

Her voice is soft, and comforting, like a warm hug as it envelopes Kara’s attention entirely.

Kara raises her chin politely. She’d been taught proper etiquette by the Master, and by the many scholars at Jordan. “Kara.”

“That’s a beautiful name, Kara. Where do you live?”

“Jordan College.” The girl responded.

“Do you like potstickers?”

Kara beamed. “They’re my favourite.”

The woman returned the smile. “Well, as it happens, I have more potstickers than I can bear to eat myself. Do you mind helping me with them?”

Kara nodded, and was lost. She was lost the moment her dim-witted daemon hopped into the golden monkey’s paw. She followed the lady and the monkey through the market, out of Lime Street, down past the docks and down to a little green door on the side of a very tall warehouse. The woman knocked once and was let in, with Kara trailing behind her. Once the door shut behind the tiny blonde, she wasn’t seen again for a very long time.


	2. Jonny Sawyer's Gone Missing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meanwhile, in Oxford, Alex Danvers runs through the streets of Jericho...

The first time Alexandra Danvers met Maggie Sawyer was the day of the Horse Fair and, unfortunately, the day Kara Danvers and Jonny Sawyer went missing. Running through the streets of Oxford, weaving in and out of bustling people, with her ragamuffin friends hot on her heels and her daemon, Ezran, flying high above her in the form of a red kite, Alex Danvers shouted and whooped in laughter.

Her red hair, tied back into a short but messy ponytail, flew out behind her and made her almost look like a flame dancing in and out of the Covered Market. They were heading for the Canalbed, knowing their seasonal enemies would be well settled in Jericho by now. Travellers often visited Oxford, all of which the college kids were all enemies of, but there was a set that came in regularly every year. Tribes known as gyptians, and travelled by boat throughout the countries many canals and rivers. Alex had already been practising her mud-throwing skills and devising her plan to hijack another boat this year or steal an unattended horse.

As she and the others rounded out of the Covered Market and began their stretch down Turl Street, it was becoming more and more clear that Alex was too fast for them. She was big for a sixteen-year-old, with the height of about 5’11, it was difficult for the other teenagers to keep up with her long legs. Still, they kept up well enough.

As they approached the Canalbed, however, all that could be heard was a loud, mournful shriek followed by roars of anger. Amongst the hundreds of horses and through the cold, morning mist, Alex spotted one gyptian boy stood alone, watching the commotion.

“What’s going on?”

“It’s Ma Sawyer, well, her kid anyway. She reckons Jonny’s been gobbled.” The friend, whose name was Benjamin de Mount, replied. “Well, he’s missing.”

“So, Gobblers have come to Oxford, then?” Alex asked, tempted to nearly cover her ears from the noise, which was escalating more and more. Ezran, now in the form of a pine marten, tucked himself into Alex’s breast so their hearts beat together.

Children had been going missing a lot recently, up and down the country. Two were gone from Abingdon and Cowley last week, and the talk of the town were that Gobblers were heading for Oxford. Gobblers being the name of whatever had been taking these children. Some said it was a daemon with no human, some said it was a beautiful lady, and others said it was a man with no eyes. All anyone knew that once a child was gobbled, nobody ever saw them again.

Benjamin called his friends over, all of them ready for their fight. Alex rolled her eyes. She was always interested in a scrap, especially with her gyptian friends, but right now she was more curious about Gobblers in Oxford. Thankfully, she didn’t have to fight because suddenly a small figure barged her way past the readying children and demons, knocking them aside like street pins.

“What the fuck have you half-assed pricks done with my brother?”

A girl, around the same age as Alex, parted them like they were nothing, although most were twice her size. She was dressed in what most gyptian children wore; a wolfskin coat, a blue-knitted scarf, knee-high leather boots and camo-green cargo trousers. Alex had seen her before, but they’d never met. She’d always remained by her parents’ boat whilst her younger brother had played with the townies. Wielding a stick, the length of her forearm, she stepped forward threateningly to a tall, gyptian boy named Garrett.

“He was holding your fucking horses, Garrett, where is he?”

The boy held his hands up in fright. “I don’t know! He musta run away or somethin’,”

The girl’s daemon, a dark-red fox with black eyes, snarled at the boy. She stepped forward again, thwacking the boy with the stick. “You were supposed to be watchin’ him!” She growled.

Men were spreading out from Ma Sawyer’s boat, calling the boy’s name. Garrett and the other gyptians ran to join them, leaving the Alex alone with the Sawyer girl. She didn’t run to her mother when she emerged from their barge boat, but watched her intently as she started barking at the surrounding gyptians and calling her son’s name. The girl sighed, waited another moment, and then trained the stick on her and approached, not bothered by Ezran’s low growling.

“You seen him? You seen my brother?” She snapped.

Alex wasn’t scared of her, or the stick. “No.” She replied. “We just got here. I haven’t seen Jonny since last spring.”

The girl threw down the stick in frustration, tears threatening her olive-skinned cheeks. Alex could tell this was more the angry type of tears, she got them enough herself.

“Do you think it’s Gobblers?” She asked boldly. “Gyptian kids go missing all the time, maybe he’s just run off, or got lost-“

The girl picked the stick back up and jabbed it dangerously close to Alex’s neck. “Jonny would never just _run off_. He’s been gobbled and I’ll be damned if I lose him, got it?” She threatened.

Alex, again, not frightened by the stick, but knew the girl meant her threat, held her hands up. “Got it.” The girl dropped the stick again, keeping the enraged look on her face. Alex tried the tentative approach again. “I’m Alex. This is Ezran.”

Ezran eyed the fox nervously, but it didn’t even bat an eyelid at him. The girl gave Alex a dirty look, but regarded her nonetheless. She stuck her hand out. “Maggie Sawyer. This is Musca.”

Alex shook it. “When was your brother last seen?”

Maggie looked Alex up and down, then scoffed. “Why? What are you gonna do, college girl? Ask your Master to come and find Jonny?”

Alex put her hands on her hips. “Fine.” She turned away to find her friends again, see if they had any answers. It seemed like they’d be more help than Maggie would.

She found them again on the bridge, overlooking the River Thames, watching their daemons splashing around together and calling out Jonny’s name.

“Do you think he’s fallen in?” Ezran murmured as they approached.

Alex shook her head. “No. Gyptians are good swimmers. If he was, they’d all be in there with him.” She caught up with the group, who were all talking loudly amongst themselves, arguing and shouting. “What’s going on? Have you found Billy?”

Benjamin, who was sat on the railing, watching his fish-daemon splash around the water, glanced up at her. “Genius, here,” He pointed to one of Alex’s companions. “-says he’s seen the Gobblers.”

Alex turned to the boy; whose name was Frank. “Well, have you?”

“Yeah, I seen ‘em do it!”

“What did they look like?” She asked.

“Well…I never properly saw them.” He admitted to a round of groans. “But I saw their truck. They catch the kid and bundles ‘em in a truck, fast!” He hastily added. “They gobble ‘em!”

Alex nodded. “Who saw Jonny last?”

A chorus of voices talked back at her. “Well I saw him cleaning – He was holding – I saw him less than two hours before he was gobbled! – “

After about twenty minutes of babbling and trying to figure out who saw what when, the general consensus was that little Jonny Sawyer had been seen by at least ten people about half an hour before he went missing. The children split into groups, Benjamin leading one and Alex another and set out around Jericho to find the boy.

Ezran, who had formed into a sparrow, flapped his wings around Alex’s head. “What do you think Gobblers look like?”

“They must look like ordinary people.” Alex responded as she walked. “Otherwise we’d know they were Gobblers, wouldn’t we?”

“So, what are we looking for?”

“Not what, Ez, _who_. We need to find people that nobody notices, people who can blend in and lure kids.”

Ezran landed on her shoulder. “Very specific.”

Alex rolled her eyes and ignored him. As she continued her search through the horse fairs, the tar-smelling market stalls and covered markets, Ezran jumped into a sparrow once more and took to the skies.

Through the whole commotion of looking for Jonny, Alex forgot about Kara.

****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya, I promise the chapters will be a fuck load longer than this.


	3. Lonely Hallways

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex returns to Jordan in a new mission to find Kara...

It was past sundown when Alex and Ezran were still out with their friends looking for the missing Sawyer boy. It was getting so late that the streetlamps had been lit and the Librarian’s assistant was searching the streets for the two. The stalls had been shut and boarded up for the night, save only for a few traders taking inventory for their days’ sales. The Assistant asked any of them that would listen if they’d seen the Jordan girl.

“Alexandra Danvers, come in at once!” He shouted, finally catching sight of the redhead and her daemon under the glow of a streetlight.

“No!” She yelled back. “I’m looking for my friend. The Gobblers got him.”

“The what?”

“Gobblers.” One of Alex’s gyptian friends piped up. “They’ve been taking kids all over.”

“They took a couple of kids from Wallingford two months ago.” Alex added. “They said there were Gobblers in Abingdon last week. They’ve probably come here to take kids from us.”

The Assistant, a boy who was only a couple years older than Alex, folded his arms and rolled his eyes. “That’s stupid.” He replied, shaking his head. “Gyptians make up all kinds of crap. Your friend probably just wondered off now come inside. I don’t wanna tell the Master why you’re not at dinner.”

Alex hopped onto the curve of the street lamp and held on to it with one hand. “I guess that’s what you’ll have to tell him, then. I’m not coming in.” She declared stubbornly.

The Assistant sighed and tried a different, softer, approach. “I can’t tell him that both Danvers girls aren’t where they should be, Alex, come on.”

Alex froze, and felt Ezran’s fur bristle against her neck as goosebumps crawled over her skin. “Where’s Kara?”

Then she remembered, and it hit her hard in the heart – she was meant to be with Kara.

She’d told her younger sister that she would meet her after her morning session with the scholars, but had gotten caught up in her search for Jonny Sawyer. Alex went quiet: she suddenly felt very afraid. With soft goodbyes to her friends, Alex gathered Ezran up into her arms and followed the Assistant back to Jordan College. The moment they were past the Market Square, Alex tore off into the night, sprinting as fast as her legs could carry her. Ezran kept up in the form of a terrier.

“Alex! Get back here!”

Alex didn’t hear the Assistant’s shouts as she disappeared from view. It didn’t take her long to reach Lime Street, the place she’d agreed to meet her sister, and she reached it in vain. The steps of the Oratory were empty, and there were no signs that Kara and Felix had been there.

“Where are they?” Ezran whispered, sniffing around the steps and turning his nose up at it. “They’ve been here, I can smell them.”

Alex couldn’t find the words, only stretched out her hand for Ezran to jump into. The moment the now mouse-daemon landed in her palm; the girl ran off full pelt to the college. She got there in no time, and headed straight to the kitchen, tumbling through the door. It was full of noise, the staff cutting vegetables and sizzling meat above pots and pans, shouting orders at one another.

“Have any of you seen my sister?” She yelled.

“Clear off, we’re busy!”

“But where is she? Someone must’ve-“

“Alex, we’re too busy to entertain you at the moment. Go and find the Master, I’m sure he’s tired of waiting for-“

Alex grabbed a pot full of steaming vegetables and threw it to the floor. It landed with a clatter, boiling water and vegetables spilling everywhere, and made the whole kitchen stop in their tracks. The redhead stood, trembling, with her hands curled into fists, staring around at all of them. Alex had never physically shaken with anger and upset before, but the apparent disappearance of her sister was making her shake so hard that her knuckles were turning whiter than ghosts. She could feel Ezran quivering against her chest, his fur tickling her neck.

One of the kitchen staff, a boy a little older than Alex, approached her and took her by the elbow. Alex didn’t know him very well, only knew that his name was Tobey and that he taught Kara how to peel potatoes once, but she let him pull her out of the kitchen anyway.

The moment they were in the hallway, Tobey bent slightly to Alex’s level. “You need to keep your head down, and your mouth shut, alright?” He told her, not in an unfriendly tone, but forcefully. “There are people looking out for you, Alex. You _and_ your sister.”

Alex frowned at him, fearful and confused. He let go of her and straightened up. “The Master is waiting for you, go on.”

She opened her mouth to ask more questions, but then thought better of it. Tobey offered a smile as she turned to go, small and sympathetic, as if he were apologising. Alex kept walking, holding a still frightened Ezran in her chest.

“I don’t like this, Alex.” He whispered.

“Me neither.”

Walking to dinner felt lonelier than usual. Guiltier, too. The halls of Jordan College felt empty and cold, like a cave about to swallow her up. It was usually filled with the noise of Kara chattering into Alex’s ear and the sounds of Felix and Ezran squabbling at their feet. Now it was silent, bar from the footfalls of Alex’s boots and the light pitter patter of newly fallen rain on the stain glass windows.

The sounds and smells of Alex’s awaiting dinner were masked by a set of huge, heavily bolted doors but she could spy the candle lights underneath. Dinner had started. Still, she knew she had to wait. Both Alex and Kara had learned over their years spent at Jordan that even if they were late, they had to wait until they were called before they joined the scholars for dinner.

Scuffing her boot on the stone flooring, Alex stared out at the rain. It was falling a little harder now, plopping against the window in fat little blobs and dribbling down the panes. Alex wondered if Kara could see the rain too, wondered if the droplets were dampening her hair, or her clothes, or steaming up her thickly framed glasses. Ezran, in the form of a mouse, placed a tiny paw on the window, his big eyes staring out at the rain.

“Do you think they’re out there?” He asked softly. “Felix and Kara?”

Alex followed his gaze, and matched his solemn expression. But she didn’t reply, unable to find any kind of reason apart from the obvious, which she was afraid to admit. Instead, she held out her hand and let the daemon hop onto her palm. As he did, the doors finally opened and Alex was allowed to enter the Main Hall.

The Main Hall was made up of five long tables, each about twenty metres in length, and decorated with silver plates, goblets, candles and royal red napkins with gold trimming. Four tables were for the scholars, mostly boys a couple of years older than Alex, and the fifth at the head of the Hall for the Master and the other heads of department around the college. Two seats were always reserved for Kara and Alex opposite the Master. The elder Danvers sister felt all eyes on her as she walked past the four main tables, and became aware of how grubby she still was. Her boots were caked with mud from the Canal bed, straw from the horse fair was stuck in her hair and dirt was all over her hands and face. Sat next to the Master, the Librarian shot a look to his assistant, who was already apologising profusely. The clatters of spoons in bowls started to die down as Alex approached the table.

Alex stared at her feet as she arrived to the table, knowing she was in a world of trouble. The Master, an elderly man that Alex liked to joke was hundreds of years old, inspected the teenager from behind his half-moon glasses. After a momentary once-over, the Master took off the glasses and sighed.

“Alexandra,’ He always addressed Alex by the name she hated. “This is Ms Zor-El.”

It was only now Alex noticed one of the two seats that were usually reserved for her and Kara, was taken by a woman in a golden dress. At the Master’s introduction, the woman smiled brightly at the redhead.

“You must be Miss Danvers.”

Alex couldn’t speak, her tongue felt thick and like someone had shoved cotton in her mouth. Ms Zor-El was beautiful, like nobody she had ever seen before. She had opal face with clear, radiant skin that glowed as bright as her perfect smile. Her hair, dark brown at first-look, glinted red in the candlelight and cascaded around her shoulders. Her daemon, perched on the fox fur coat that was hung on the back of the chair, was a monkey with silky gold fur. But what Alex couldn’t look away from was Ms Zor-El’s eyes. They were a dark brown, with a circle of gold around her pupil. They reminded Alex of someone, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.

“Alexandra-“ The Librarian shook Alex out of her reverie. “Don’t be rude.”

Alex shook her head and straightened herself up. “Right, sorry.” She stuck her hand out. “I’m Alex.”

Ms Zor-El looked at the dirt-covered hand amusedly before taking it and shaking it firmly. “I’m Alura. It’s nice to meet you, Alex.”

Alex let go and looked to the Master. She didn’t care about this stranger; she was more concerned with her younger sister. She opened her mouth to speak, but the Master spoke first.

“Alexandra, go and get yourself cleaned up. Then come and visit me in my office at eight. Your dinner will be brought up to you.”

“But-“

“Now, Alex.” The Librarian said sharply.

Alex pursed her lips tightly, but did as she was told and turned away from the table. Why didn’t anyone care about Kara? How had nobody noticed she was gone? The noise resumed as Alex started the long walk to her room to wash her face and change her clothes. Alura’s eyes didn’t leave Alex’s back until the redhead had left the Hall.

Ezran didn’t come out of Alex’s pocket until they’d gotten up to their room.

“Who’s she?” He asked, jumping onto Alex’s bed in cat form.

Alex walked around the room, changing her clothes for black trousers and a fresh shirt. “I don’t know. Someone fancy.” She replied, pulling her dirty shirt up over her head. “Why didn’t the Master ask about Kara? She wasn’t with us, or at the table.”

“Maybe she’s in his office.”

Alex didn’t reply as she put a new shirt on. She doubted Kara was in the Master’s office: she would’ve been told about it. The redhead crossed the room and touched the poster above the mantelpiece. It was of the Northern Lights, an old poster to exaggerate the expeditions the old scientists used to go on, and was plastered across most of the city. Alex remembered how her father used to tell her stories of the Northern Lights and the Ice Bears. She remembered telling Kara the same stories.

+

_“More, Alex, more!” Kara clocked Alex full in the face with a pillow. “C’mon, there’s gotta be more!”_

_Alex laughed, and threw the pillow back at her baby sister. It sailed over her head and instead hit Felix mid-air. The little sparrow-daemon squeaked and hit the wall. Kara let out a small hiss, and her hand flew to the back of her head as Felix flapped his wings, a little dazed._

_Alex was by her side in a second. “Sorry! Sorry!” She apologised quickly. “Are you alright?”_

_Kara scrunched her face up, her nose wrinkling and her brow furrowing. “Ow…” She groaned. “That hurt. More stories please.”_

_The older sister laughed and poked the younger’s side. “No!”_

_“C’mon, Alex, please! More about the Ice Bears! The ones in the North!” Kara begged, pointing excitedly to the poster above Alex’s mantelpiece._

_Ezran climbed onto Alex’s lap and purred contentedly: the way he always did when Alex told her father’s stories. The redhead rolled her eyes and scratched behind his ear. Kara grinned, knowing her sister was going to continue._

_“We’ll go the North one day, Kara.” Alex told her. “Just you wait. You and me.”_

_“Can we meet the bears?”_

_“They’d probably rip us apart.”_

_Kara gasped, and then paused for a moment. “What if we ask them not to?”_

_Alex regarded her sister with a raised eyebrow before both of them burst into laughter. Ezran rolled his eyes and sprang away. Felix flew out of reach from any hurled pillows._

Her bedroom suddenly felt so dark, and isolated, like the hallway downstairs. Alex’s life felt alone without Kara with her.

“We’ll find her, Alex.” Ezran reminded her, jumping into her arms and purring against her chest.

Alex sighed again and stroked his fur. “I hope so.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've realised by pure chance, I didn't even mention Maggie in this chapter. Like I said, it's a slow freaking burn.


End file.
